Flock (The Ravenhood #1)(86)

“I had high hopes for you.” She pulls her hand away, and he sighs.

“Keep them high, along with your expectations, but you have to live to see me meet them. What in the hell have you done to yourself, Delphine?”

She leans in on a whisper, her eyes finding mine over his shoulder before I jump back into the bedroom and head toward the bathroom to finish my task.

So, Delphine is in on the secret.

Interesting.

But I’ll never be able to use this to my advantage. She’s just as closed off as Dominic. I’m not enough of a crowbar to try and breach her barriers. I know this without even trying.

After spending endless minutes scrubbing her bathroom and setting out roach bait in every corner, along all the baseboards, and in her closets, I move to join them in the living room. Tyler’s clearing a thick layer of dust from one of her floating shelves. “How do you breathe in here, Delphine?”

She lifts her vodka bottle and pours an inch into her glass. “Breathing is overrated.”

He shakes his head and peers down on her, his voice full of authority. “Stubborn ass woman.”

“Careful, have some respect for your first crush,” she says softly.

He tilts his head, his eyes brimming with affection until she averts her gaze.

“Bet you never thought I would end up like this.”

“I have no pity for you,” he clips, “the woman I knew would fight this shit with her eyes closed. You are choosing this.”

“I chose the wrong man.” Her lips curl into a sad smile as she takes another sip. “You fight this for four years and then come lecture me about it. Cancer is very much like a cockroach. They always come back to the one who hosts them best.”

“First of all, he was a piece of shit,” Tyler supplies, a sharp edge to his voice. “And secondly—” He stops berating her when I walk into the room.

“By all means, carry on,” I gesture, “I heard every word.”

Delphine laughs, lifts her glass, and drains more vodka. She doesn’t even look phased by the alcohol. Clearly, she’s earned her tenure as a drunk. After a long swallow, she nods toward me. “I like this one.”

“She’s fond of you too. Don’t know why.”

“Sure, you don’t.” She smirks, and I see the subtle upturn of his lips. The air grows thick again and I get an inkling, and study them collectively.

“All done in there, Cee?” His eyes drift from me to Delphine and back again.

“Yeah.” I bob my head.

Tyler resumes his cleaning as I cross the living room to inspect his job on the kitchen. It’s sparkling and reeks of lemon disinfectant—Marine clean. Enough to eat off the floor.

Even if she doesn’t appreciate it, I’ll sleep better, selfish as it may be. I’m thinking Tyler will be sleeping better as well. He clearly has affection for her. I just can’t understand why Dominic wouldn’t try to do this for her himself.

Maybe he has, and gave up like she did.

Dom’s home is always spotless, and his room is as well. That she lives this way by choice is what’s so hard to accept.

Satisfied with our job, I write down an inventory of the groceries we bought for quick reference and leave the list on the counter for her. Delphine’s draining another drink when I reach her. Her Bible open on her lap before she lifts her eyes to mine. Her expression is full of hope.

I fight the emotion budding in my chest and manage to school my features as Tyler wipes the debris off the window ledge next to her. He reads the situation and glances back at the two of us in a stare off before he tosses the rag over his shoulder.

“I’m going to hit the other two rooms.” He excuses himself, his gaze lingering on Delphine before he disappears down the hall.

However, it’s Dominic’s aunt who keeps me captive because the fear in her eyes is real, and it makes me just as fearful for her.

Despite her flippant comments, she’s afraid to die.

If only that quack were real. The one who has proof of His existence, then she wouldn’t be so scared to take the journey. But all she has is faith. All she needs is to keep the faith of the book in her hands. And that has to be enough. This point right here is when faith becomes her burden and possible breaking point. I might have needed to sterilize her environment to feel better about her situation, but what she truly needs isn’t in plastic bags.

She doesn’t bother to ask, and she doesn’t have to. I kneel next to her as she flips through the pages and begins to read.





Back in Tyler’s truck, we collectively stare at the house. She’d thanked us and hugged Tyler for several seconds before she’d given me a slight smile and closed her door. I eye the plants on her porch as he turns the engine over.

“Shit, I forgot to water her porch plants.”

“You’ve done enough.” His whisper is covered in melancholy. I could have asked for directions because I’d forgotten the way, but I needed back-up. It’s a hard situation to deal with, especially letting a stranger in, and I needed that familiarity from Tyler to get through her door. But even with him there, it was still hard, and it’s just as hard now leaving her alone to waste away in that house, especially knowing how scared she is. She may have chosen to stop fighting and die alone, but she doesn’t want to be alone when she gets there.